1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an electro-optical spin measurement system which tracks a model, such as a model aircraft, in order to determine spin rate, angle of attack, and roll angle of the model within the confines of a vertical spin tunnel. A model used in this system is hereinafter referred to as a "spin model".
2. Description of the Related Art
Various measurement systems for determining attitude, position, alignment, etc., of weapon systems or tracking devices have been developed. The most recent systems employ photodetectors and light emitting diodes.
Prior art flight deflection measurement systems employ strain gauges, accelerometers, or cinematographic/videographic techniques. All of these techniques have various drawbacks such as low, non-repeatable strain levels, are not suitable for steady state or low frequency wing deflections, or have poor resolution and low accuracy, respectively. Therefore, an electro-optical wing deflection measurement system was developed (see Flight Deflection Measurement System (Non-Contacting), Hampton et al AIAA Proceedings, Colorado Springs, Co., (Mar. 17, 1980). The system includes a receiver, control unit, target drivers, targets, ground display units, and a power supply. The receiver employs a cylindrical lens configuration to image each target as a line (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,568 to Seymour). The system is employed to measure the deflection and bending moment of a wing under various conditions.